Name: Recipe for Japanese Pancakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour; 1 tbsp All Purpose Flour; 1/2 tsp Baking Powder; 1/4 tsp Baking Soda; 3/4 cup Sugar; 2 Large Eggs; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1/4 tsp Lemon Juice; 1/4 Cup Milk ((2% or Whole)); 1 Can Cooking Spray; 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Dad's recipe for Japanese Pancakes came about because Dad has made a lot of pancakes in his days. Pancakes are one of the kiddo's favorite foods. So, when dad saw these "Japanese pancakes" popping up everywhere he had to see what all they hype was about. You may be asking "What are Japanese pancakes"? The big difference between these pancakes and run of the mill "American Style" pancakes is that they are spongier, jiggly even.

This is due to the use of egg whites in that are whipped with sugar to form a meringue in the recipe for Japanese pancakes. Using the meringue in the batter makes them a mix between a pancake and a soufflé. Dad stopped using pre-made pancake mix a long time ago, so this was not much more work than his regular pancake recipe.

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How To Make Japanese Pancakes

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Separate The Eggs.

The first thing you need to do is separate the egg white and yolks. Dad uses the "through the fingers" technique. Crack the egg into the palm of your hand. Then slightly open up the spacing between your fingers to allow the white to run through, while keeping the yolk in the palm. It is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Once you have the eggs separated, stick the whites in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the batter. This will help make them whip up a little better.

Sift the Flour.

Another important step to getting those jiggly pancakes is to sift the flour. Sifting the flour will help get the batter nice and smooth. All you need to do is run your flour though a medium to fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Once the flour is sifted, add in the baking powder and baking soda and mix with a whisk.

Whip It, Whip It Good.

Now it is time for the fun part. Dad recommends you use an Electric Hand Mixer like he did for this part. You can do this by hand but it would take a while, and your wrists would hurt a lot. Take the egg whites out of the freezer and put them in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add about ¼ of the sugar and whip on high. As you start seeing the consistency change, gradually add in the remaining sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. You are looking for a "fluffy cloud" here.

Make The Batter.

We are just about done making our batter now. Add the vanilla, lemon juice and egg yolks to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Pour ¼ cup of milk into the batter. Mix everything together and look at the consistency of the batter. You don't want lumpy, you want smooth and a little on the liquid side. If the batter is too thick add a tiny bit more milk until it is right.

Be Gentle.

The last step is to gently add the meringue into the batter. You want to be gentle when you do this so you don't break up all the air pockets you put in the meringue. Use the whisk and slowly stir in the egg white mixture. Once everything is nicely incorporated set the batter aside for about 10 minutes while you prep the cooking surface. This 10 minutes will let the baking soda & baking powder react and give you a much better result than if you just cook it right away.

Not Too Hot Now.

Normally dad cooks his pancakes at a pretty high temp. Since pancakes are normally thin, it works well to get you a nice browned exterior. These pancakes are not thin. If you cooked them on high they would burn on the bottom. If you flipped them early enough to avoid the burning, they would not be cooked in the middle. On Dad's Electric Griddle he settled in on 300 degrees. If you are using a nonstick pan, Dad would say medium heat, not medium high.

Put A Ring On It.

If you want instagram worthy pancakes Dad suggests using a stainless steel "Food Ring". Dad got his on Amazon and they come in handy for all kind of things (making eggs, cookie cutters and crab cakes to name a few). You need to spray them with some cooking spray so the pancakes will release easily. Please do not touch them with your bare hands after they have been on the cooking surface, they will be HOT.

Put the ring on the cooking surface, spray with cooking spray and fill with batter. Let them sit 2-5 minutes depending on how much batter you put in. Then flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

You get perfect pancakes every time this way. If you don't want to be bothered with the rings you can just make the pancakes the normal way and they will taste exactly the same.

Recipe for Japanese Pancakes - The Dad Way

How To Make Japanese Pancakes